Miller stopped 33 shots, including the first 16 he faced, to
earn his 30th win of the season in his first game back after
missing 13 because of a sprained left ankle.

But Gaustad, with the goal with 9:04 left, halted a three-goal
rally by the Maple Leafs after the Sabres raced to a 4-0 lead.

"They smelled blood and wanted to get back on the attack,"
Miller said. "We did a good job not panicking and getting pucks
to the net. We were definitely rewarded with (Gaustad's) goal."

"We've been talking about getting pucks to the net, and it paid
off," Gaustad said. "We showed confidence and poise and went
back at them."

The win set up a key Eastern Conference playoff showdown
Saturday, when Buffalo travels to face Montreal. With 80 points
and eight games left, the Sabres are 10th in the East, five
points behind Montreal, which holds the eighth and final playoff
spot.

"You have to win every game," Sabres defenseman Jaroslav Spacek
said. "For us, every game's big. You have to play really
smart, win the battles and keep it simple, especially in the
beginning."

Buffalo came out strong against Toronto goalie Curtis Joseph,
scoring four goals on nine shots and chasing the veteran three
minutes into the second period.

Tim Connolly scored twice, Jochen Hecht had a goal and an assist
and Daniel Paille also scored for Buffalo.

"You have to find a way to bring your best every night, and
tonight wasn't my night," Joseph said. "We did battle back, no
question. I thought we would make a great comeback, but it was
a little too late."

Boyd Devereaux and Matt Stajan had a goal and assist each for
the 11th-place Maple Leafs, who lost for only the second time in
six games (4-2-0) and are all but mathematically eliminated from
contention. Nikolai Kulemin also scored for Toronto.

Miller had little support on the three goals he allowed -
including Kulemin's that came during a scramble in front and
after Miller made a diving stop to foil Alexei Ponikarovsky.

"We didn't really give up a lot, although they got back in it,"
Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. "I still thought we played our
game."

There was also no question about who would play in goal for the
Sabres against the Canadiens.

"It felt pretty good throughout the whole night," Miller said.
"I'll throw some ice on it tonight, see how it feels and go back
at it."

Gaustad's goal, scored less than three minutes after Stajan and
Kulemin scored 43 seconds apart to cut it to 4-3, came after a
clearing attempt by Toronto's Ian White bounced off Gaustad and
past rookie backup goalie Justin Pogge.

Miller, meanwhile, showed little signs of rust or effects of his
injury and was particularly sharp in the first period, when he
made 14 saves - including two on bang-bang chances by Stajan
from the right circle.

The same could not be said for Joseph, who was yanked after
Paille and Connolly scored 21 seconds apart.

Joseph earned his 351st career loss to move to within one of
matching Gump Worsley's NHL record.